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When the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle debuted on the Olympic program in Tokyo, Ledecky won by more than four seconds.
PARIS, France — Katie Ledecky swam far ahead of the competition on Wednesday to claim her first gold medal of the Paris Summer Games with one of her best events.
Ledecky finished 10 seconds ahead of the silver medalist and beat her own Olympic record.
Before Wednesday’s 1,500-meter freestyle victory, Ledecky’s only medal in Paris had been a bronze in the 400 freestyle.
The win brings her up to 12 total medals, matching the women’s swimming all-time record.
It also gives Ledecky her eighth gold medal, which moves her into a tie with Jenny Thompson for the most gold medals won by any American woman. If Ledecky can win one more gold in Paris, that record would be hers alone.
Ledecky was heavily favored heading into the race as she already had the top 20 fastest times in the world for the 1,500-meter freestyle.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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